The present invention relates to a towing hitch for an armored vehicle. More particularly this invention concerns a tow eye for an armored trailer.
It is standard to provide an armored vehicle, in particular a trailer, with a hitch, normally an eye, by means of which it can be towed. Standard design principles require that the hitch be strong enough to carry 1.5 times the overall weight of the vehicle.
With a heavily armored trailer this is not a problem, as the eye can simply be welded to the front plating which is strong enough to meet the design criteria. On more lightly armored vehicles, however, it is necessary to reinforce around the towing hitch. This is typically done by welding on a plate, stiffening ribs, or the like. Such reinforcement adds unnecessarily to the weight of the vehicle and in fact often presents a location at which, in spite of the additional structure, the actual ballistic resistance and armor rating is reduced.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved towing hitch for a vehicle.
Another object is the provision of an improved towing eye for an armored vehicle which overcomes the above-given disadvantages, that is which has the desired pull rating without increasing the weight of the vehicle or reducing its resistance to penetration.
An armored vehicle according to the invention has a front wall provided with a tow hitch having a generally cup-shaped reinforcement plate having an outer periphery fixed to a face of the front wall and a center and a tow eye fixed to the center of the reinforcement plate. The system according to the invention has the advantage that the tow hitch is substantially simplified. The number of shield parts is substantially decreased while the cup shape of the reinforcement provides a better ballistic protection than a narrow or pointed part as produced with normal reinforcing ribs. In addition conduits, cables, and the like mounted on the surface can pass by the hitch without having to be deflected over bulky reinforcement structure. Of course this arrangement is also much lighter than the prior-art reinforcements.
The plate in accordance with the invention is forwardly concave. The wall itself is formed with a hole covered by the plate and the outer periphery is fixed to the wall around the hole with the eye extending through the hole. Thus the tension applied to the eye is transmitted to the wall over a relatively wide area, insuring that the eye will not be pulled out or the wall deformed.
In a further system according to the invention the eye extends through and is fixed to the wall. It is also possible to provide at least one reinforcement gusset fixed to the eye and to the wall.
According to the invention the hole and plate are circular and the plate is of greater diameter than the hole. Furthermore the plate can have an annular part-spherical portion and an inner frustoconical portion. In another system a pair of gussets flank the eye and welds secure the gussets to the eye and to the plate.